STEM107: AP Chemistry

Course Description



####### This course will be taught by Rolex Rao, a 20+ year veteran instructor from California. He has over ten years of overall teaching experience, and over six years of SAT I Math and SAT Math IIC instruction and individual/group tutoring. He has helped students of various backgrounds achieve perfect scores on both the SAT and the AP exams. He holds a M.S. in Physics from University of Utah and a B.S. in Physics from Beijing University. He has over seven years of research experience at UC Berkeley, in addition to several years of work experience in the pharmaceutical and optical communication industries. He has extensive experience tutoring Honors and AP Chemistry, AP Physics B/C, AP Calculus AB/BC, and other various SAT II subjects.#######

No classes on the week of Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year

Unit 1 Atomic Structure and Properties
  • You’ll learn about the composition of atoms and ways scientists measure and categorize these molecular building blocks.
Unit 2 Molecular and Ionic Compound Structure and Properties
  • You’ll discover the range of chemical bonds and how their structure can affect the properties of the molecules created.
Unit 3 Inter-molecular Forces and Properties
  • You’ll explore how atoms come together to create solids, liquids, and gases, and how subatomic forces govern the properties of everything around you.
Unit 4 Chemical Reactions
  • You’ll learn how to differentiate physical and chemical processes, and how to measure and express chemical reactions via chemical equations.
Unit 5 Kinetics
  • You’ll explore various methods to observe the changes that occur during a chemical reaction and the effects of a series of reactions.
Unit 6 Thermodynamics
  • You’ll learn about energy changes in chemical reactions and how a transfer of energy can change a substance’s physical qualities.
Unit 7 Equilibrium
  • You’ll chart how chemical reactions change over time, what causes substances to reach equilibrium, and how systems react when that equilibrium is disturbed.
Unit 8 Acids and Bases
  • You’ll learn more about pH, the qualities and properties of acids and bases, and how they interact in chemical reactions.
Unit 9 Applications of Thermodynamics
  • You’ll be introduced to the concept of “thermodynamic favorability” for reactions, meaning how likely they are to occur given energy changes and environmental factors.